Distinctive nuclear signatures of low-energy atmospheric neutrinos

New probes of neutrino mixing are needed to advance precision studies. One promising direction is via the detection of low-energy atmospheric neutrinos (below a few hundred MeV), to which a variety of near-term experiments will have much-improved sensitivity. Here we focus on probing these neutrinos through distinctive nuclear signatures of exclusive neutrino-carbon interactions -- those that lead to detectable nuclear-decay signals with low backgrounds -- in both neutral-current and charged-current channels. The neutral-current signature is a line at 15.11 MeV and the charged-current signatures are two- or three-fold coincidences with delayed decays. We calculate the prospects for identifying such events in the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO), a large-scale liquid-scintillator detector. A five-year exposure would yield about 16 neutral-current events (all flavors) and about 16 charged-current events (mostly from

\nu_e + \bar{\nu}_e

, with some from

\nu_\mu + \bar{\nu}_\mu

), and thus roughly 25% uncertainties on each of their rates. Our results show the potential of JUNO to make the first identified measurement of sub-100 MeV atmospheric neutrinos. They also are a step towards multi-detector studies of low-energy atmospheric neutrinos, with the goal of identifying additional distinctive nuclear signatures for carbon and other targets.

Note:

13 pages, 7 figures, 1 appendix. Minor changes, matches version published in Phys. Rev. D

neutrino: atmosphere
nucleus: signature
background: low
neutrino: mixing
charged current
neutral current
JUNO
observatory
sensitivity
carbon

References(155)

Figures(15)

[1]

Solar Neutrinos: Status and Prospects

W.C. Haxton
(
- UC, Berkeley and
- LBNL, NSD
)
,
R.G. Hamish Robertson
(
- Washington U., Seattle and
- CENPA, Seattle
)
,
Aldo M. Serenelli
(
- ICE, Bellaterra and
- Garching, Max Planck Inst.
)

- Ann.Rev.Astron.Astrophys. 51 (2013) 21-61
•
e-Print:
- 1208.5723
•
DOI:
- 10.1146/annurev-astro-081811-125539

[2]

The Measurement of Neutrino Properties with Atmospheric Neutrinos

Takaaki Kajita
(
- Tokyo U., IPMU and
- Tokyo U., ICRR
)

- Ann.Rev.Nucl.Part.Sci. 64 (2014) 343-362
•
DOI:
- 10.1146/annurev-nucl-102313-025402

[3]

Grand Unified Neutrino Spectrum at Earth: Sources and Spectral Components

Edoardo Vitagliano
(
- Munich, Max Planck Inst. and
- UCLA
)
,
Irene Tamborra
(
- DARK Cosmology Ctr. and
- Bohr Inst.
)
,
Georg Raffelt
(
- Munich, Max Planck Inst.
)

- Rev.Mod.Phys. 92 (2020) 45006
•
e-Print:
- 1910.11878
•
DOI:
- 10.1103/RevModPhys.92.045006

[4]

Review of Particle Physics

R.L. Workman
(
- George Washington U.
)
,
V.D. Burkert
(
- Jefferson Lab
)
,
V. Crede
(
- Florida State U.
)
,
E. Klempt
(
- Bonn U., HISKP
)
,
U. Thoma
(
- Bonn U., HISKP
)

et al.

- PTEP 2022 (2022) 083C01
•
DOI:
- 10.1093/ptep/ptac097

[5]

Theory of Neutrino Physics -- Snowmass TF11 (aka NF08) Topical Group Report

André de Gouvêa
(
- Northwestern U. and
- Naval Research Lab, Wash., D.C.
)
,
Irina Mocioiu
(
- Penn State U. and
- Naval Research Lab, Wash., D.C.
)
,
Saori Pastore
(
- Washington U., St. Louis
)
,
Louis E. Strigari
(
- Texas A-M
)
,
L. Alvarez-Ruso
(
- Valencia U., IFIC
)

et al.

e-Print:
- 2209.07983

[6]

IceCube-Gen2: the window to the extreme Universe

IceCube-Gen2

Collaboration

•

M.G. Aartsen
(
- Canterbury U.
)

et al.

- J.Phys.G 48 (2021) 6, 060501
•
e-Print:
- 2008.04323
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1361-6471/abbd48

[7]

Determining the neutrino mass ordering and oscillation parameters with KM3NeT/ORCA

KM3NeT

Collaboration

•

S. Aiello
(
- INFN, Catania
)

et al.

- Eur.Phys.J.C 82 (2022) 1, 26,
- Eur.Phys.J.C 82 (2022) 26
•
e-Print:
- 2103.09885
•
DOI:
- 10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09893-0

[8]

Snowmass Neutrino Frontier: DUNE Physics Summary

DUNE

Collaboration

•

A. Abed Abud
(
- Liverpool U. and
- CERN
)

et al.

e-Print:
- 2203.06100

[9]

Sub-percent precision measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters with JUNO

JUNO

Collaboration

•

Angel Abusleme
(
- Chile U., Catolica
)

et al.

- Chin.Phys.C 46 (2022) 12, 123001
•
e-Print:
- 2204.13249
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1674-1137/ac8bc9

[10]

Hyper-Kamiokande Experiment: A Snowmass White Paper

Hyper-Kamiokande

Collaboration

•

J. Bian

et al.

e-Print:
- 2203.02029

[11]

Snowmass Neutrino Frontier: NF01 Topical Group Report on Three-Flavor Neutrino Oscillations

Peter B. Denton
(
- BNL, NSLS
)
,
Megan Friend
(
- KEK, Tsukuba
)
,
Mark D. Messier
(
- Indiana U.
)
,
Hirohisa A. Tanaka
(
- SLAC
)
,
Sebastian Böser
(
- Mainz U., Inst. Phys.
)

et al.

e-Print:
- 2212.00809

[12]

Snowmass Neutrino Frontier Report

Patrick Huber
(
- Virginia Tech.
)
,
Kate Scholberg
(
- Duke U.
)
,
Elizabeth Worcester
(
- Brookhaven
)
,
Jonathan Asaadi
(
- Texas U., Arlington
)
,
A. Baha Balantekin
(
- Wisconsin U., Madison
)

et al.

e-Print:
- 2211.08641

[13]

The present and future status of heavy neutral leptons

Asli M. Abdullahi
(
- Fermilab and
- Durham U., IPPP
)
,
Pablo Barham Alzas
(
- CERN and
- Madrid, CIEMAT
)
,
Brian Batell
(
- Pittsburgh U.
)
,
James Beacham
(
- Ohio State U.
)
,
Alexey Boyarsky
(
- Leiden U.
)

et al.

- J.Phys.G 50 (2023) 2, 020501
•
e-Print:
- 2203.08039
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1361-6471/ac98f9

[14]

Snowmass white paper: beyond the standard model effects on neutrino flavor: Submitted to the proceedings of the US community study on the future of particle physics (Snowmass 2021)

C.A. Argüelles
(
- Harvard U.
)
,
G. Barenboim
(
- Valencia U. and
- Valencia U., IFIC
)
,
M. Bustamante
(
- Bohr Inst.
)
,
P. Coloma
(
- Madrid, IFT and
- Madrid, Autonoma U.
)
,
P.B. Denton
(
- BNL, NSLS and
- Brookhaven
)

et al.

- Eur.Phys.J.C 83 (2023) 1, 15
•
e-Print:
- 2203.10811
•
DOI:
- 10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-11049-7

[15]

Neutrino self-interactions: A white paper

Jeffrey M. Berryman
(
- Washington U., Seattle and
- UC, Berkeley
)
,
Nikita Blinov
(
- Victoria U.
)
,
Vedran Brdar
(
- Fermilab and
- Northwestern U.
)
,
Thejs Brinckmann
(
- INFN, Ferrara and
- Ferrara U.
)
,
Mauricio Bustamante
(
- Bohr Inst.
)

et al.

- Phys.Dark Univ. 42 (2023) 101267
•
e-Print:
- 2203.01955
•
DOI:
- 10.1016/j.dark.2023.101267

[16]

Synergy between cosmological and laboratory searches in neutrino physics

Martina Gerbino
(
- UC, Irvine and
- INFN, Ferrara
)
,
Evan Grohs
(
- Victoria U. and
- North Carolina State U.
)
,
Massimiliano Lattanzi
(
- Ferrara U. and
- INFN, Ferrara
)
,
Kevork N. Abazajian
(
- UC, Irvine
)
,
Nikita Blinov
(
- Victoria U.
)

et al.

- Phys.Dark Univ. 42 (2023) 101333
•
e-Print:
- 2203.07377
•
DOI:
- 10.1016/j.dark.2023.101333

[17]

White paper on light sterile neutrino searches and related phenomenology

M.A. Acero
(
- U. Atlantico, Barranquilla
)
,
C.A. Argüelles
(
- Harvard U., Phys. Dept.
)
,
M. Hostert
(
)
,
D. Kalra
(
- Columbia U.
)
,
G. Karagiorgi
(
- Columbia U.
)

et al.

- J.Phys.G 51 (2024) 12, 120501
•
e-Print:
- 2203.07323
•
DOI:
- 10.1088/1361-6471/ad307f

[18]

Collective Neutrino Oscillations

- Ann.Rev.Nucl.Part.Sci. 60 (2010) 569-594
•
e-Print:
- 1001.2799
•
DOI:
- 10.1146/annurev.nucl.012809.104524

[19]

Collective neutrino flavor conversion: Recent developments

- Nucl.Phys.B 908 (2016) 366-381,
- Nucl.Phys.B 908 (2016) 366-381
•
e-Print:
- 1602.02766
•
DOI:
- 10.1016/j.nuclphysb.2016.02.012

[20]

New Developments in Flavor Evolution of a Dense Neutrino Gas

Irene Tamborra
(
- Bohr Inst.
)
,
Shashank Shalgar
(
- Bohr Inst.
)

- Ann.Rev.Nucl.Part.Sci. 71 (2021) 165-188,
- Ann.Rev.Nucl.Part.Sci. 71 (2021) 165-188
•
e-Print:
- 2011.01948
•
DOI:
- 10.1146/annurev-nucl-102920-050505

[21]

Fast Flavor Transformations

[22]

Many-Body Collective Neutrino Oscillations: Recent Developments

Amol V. Patwardhan
(
- SLAC
)
,
Michael J. Cervia
(
- George Washington U. (main)
)
,
Ermal Rrapaj
(
- UC, Berkeley (main)
)
,
Pooja Siwach
(
- U. Wisconsin, Madison (main)
)
,
A.B. Balantekin
(
- U. Wisconsin, Madison (main)
)

- ,
- In: Handbook of Nuclear Physics (2022), Springer Nature, Singapore, edited by Tanihata, I., Toki, H., Kajino, T
•
e-Print:
- 2301.00342
•
DOI:
- 10.1007/978-981-15-8818-1_126-1

[23]

Neutrinos from dense environments: Flavor mechanisms, theoretical approaches, observations, and new directions

M. Cristina Volpe
(
- APC, Paris
)

- Rev.Mod.Phys. 96 (2024) 2, 025004
•
e-Print:
- 2301.11814
•
DOI:
- 10.1103/RevModPhys.96.025004

[24]

Interactions of Atmospheric Neutrinos in Nuclei at Low-energy

- Phys.Rev.D 34 (1986) 822-825,
- Phys. Rev. D34 ( 1986) 822-825
•
DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevD.34.822

[25]

Weak and electromagnetic nuclear decay signatures for neutrino reactions in Super-Kamiokande

S. Nussinov
(
- Tel Aviv U. and
- SUNY, Stony Brook
)
,
R. Shrock
(
- SUNY, Stony Brook
)

- Phys.Rev.Lett. 86 (2001) 2223-2226
•
e-Print:
- hep-ph/0009334
•
DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.2223

1-25 of 155
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
25 / page